Round the Cape

By Colin Hogarth

A 33 mile expedition over remote country round Cape Wrath on the north west tip of the Scottish mainland.

After a peaceful night on the windswept campsite at Durness, we set off down the
road to the Cape Wrath Hotel where we left the car before embarking on the short
voyage over the Kyle of Durness. A small ferry plies the crossing daily in the summer and on demand during the winter. The journey takes a matter of minutes.

From the jetty to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath - 11 miles away - a minibus
operates in the summer. However, as we were out to walk, it seemed only right we
pass up this easy option and set off on foot while the other boat passengers were whisked away in relative comfort.

The track climbs steeply by a cluster of cottages and, as it gains height,
spectacular views open out over the clear blue waters and white sand of the
Kyle. The way crosses Ministry of Defence firing ranges, so check with the
tourist office in Durness before you set off to ensure there is no army action planned.

Our route flattened out after the initial climb and soon we were making good
progress over open moorland. The road dips to the River Daill and in no time at
all we were standing above the shore of Loch Inshore. A small cottage sits by
the track here and this is frequently used by soldiers as a makeshift bothy. The
land surrounding this abandoned building is fairly flat, rising to only 300
metres. The track rises and falls over it's course to the lighthouse but there are one or two steep little hauls.

Further on the rusting hulk of a British Telecom van lay abandoned by the
roadside - perhaps somewhere on this isolated plain there's an old lady still
waiting for a man to come and mend her telephone? A little way on from here the
track reaches a junction. The right hand option leads down to the MBA's coastal
bothy at Kervaig. Our next port of call, however, was a small two-room bothy by
the side of the main track. Again there was evidence of army use but the wee
structure was in such a sorry state one would have to be pretty desperate to stop here for the night.

Four miles on we reached the lighthouse, the last outpost of civilisation on the
north west tip of the Scottish mainland. The beacon is surrounded by a cluster
of neatly painted cottages and workshops. The light is still in operation and can be seen some 40 miles out to sea.

On the hillside above the complex, are the ruins of an old wartime lookout post
which is now home to the Cape's sheep population. With evening upon us we
stopped briefly on the open moor here to consume a hasty supper of pilchards and
pasta before heading south towards Sandwood Bay. With no obvious path to follow,
we flitted between sheep tracks and stayed inland to avoid lengthy detours around the various coastal inlets.

Walking was hard going and the damp ground was seething with midges so rest
stops were kept to the bare minimum to avoid a ferocious savaging from this tiny
monsters. The ground undulates gently and there are several uphill sections,
although none of these extend to a climb of any more than about 100 metres. The terrain is tussocky grass with few options to pitch camp.

With darkness waiting in the wings, we hurried on and as the light began to fail
we reached the door of Strathchailleach cottage. Spirits lifted by sight of a
plume of smoke rising from the chimney into the late evening sky, we knocked
eagerly. Tired and hungry we were looking forward to a hot meal and some
convivial company. Unfortunately our inquiry met with a vocal tirade of abuse
and, picturing the angry occupant reaching for his shotgun, we legged it. It's
amazing how the taste of fear can transform stiff legs into the pins of an
Olympic sprinter! (See separate Adventure feature for the full story on Strathchailleach and its renovation by the MBA)

We slowed to walking pace with the cottage well behind us and meandered down to
Sandwood Bay (pictured top) where we pitched up on the dunes between the wide sweep of beach and Sandwood Loch (pictured below).

The following morning the sun blessed us with its heart-warming presence and we
spent a pleasant few hours exploring the beach. Bounded by rolling dunes and
crashing Atlantic breakers, the golden mile of sand extends south to Am
Buachaillie, an impressive stack. Its name translates from Gaelic as The
Herdsman. Above the bay is an old cottage reputed to be haunted by the soul of an old mariner.

We spent a second night camping on the dunes before heading inland in a
south-east direction along the south shore of Sandwood Loch. We followed the Lon
Mor burn through Strath Shinary to the MBA bothy at Strathan (pictured above).
This is a well maintained cottage with three rooms and an open fire. We fell
victim to another lazy day and decided to over-night here. The day's progress
was poor, but the weather was good and we decided to wander up to the summit of Creag Riabhach, the highest summit on the cape.

A cold night followed the balmy day and unfortunately there is very little
firewood around Strathan and we hadn't had the foresight to cart some driftwood
up from the bay. We tried heather (too smoky) and peat (too wet) and spent an
uncomfortable night on the hard stone floor. On the bright side, we didn't have
to endure the parties of outward bound executives that frequent this shelter, if
the entries in the bothy book are anything to go by. According to one, an
accountant was apparently dragged over the hills after breaking a leg. An
accountant? Why on earth didn't they just break the other one and leave him on the moor?

The following day our trek took us along the north bank of the Lon Mor. A couple
of miles from the bothy we were treated to some wonderful waterfalls before the
terrain became increasingly bland. Again the ground was wet underfoot and there
was no path to entrust our lives to. Fortunately the sky was clear and we were
able to head up close to the Feith a'Chaoruinn burn, through the flat wide pass
before descending down the course of the Grudie River to the southern tip of the
Kyle of Durness. Keeping to the south side of the burn, we soon reached a house and then a bridge over the River Dionard which feeds the Kyle.

By now the sun had gone off sulking (as is often the way) and drizzling rain was
making the final stage of our expedition north along the A838 road less than
pleasant. We flagged down a passing mobile shop and, loaded down with sugary
confectionary, some bananas and a big bottle of Coke, we completed the final four miles in fine style.

WALK FACTS - Distance: 33.5 miles/54km. Map: OS Landranger 9. Start/finish: Cape Wrath Hotel (grid ref 380663). Grading: A long
hike over rough and exposed moorland. The route crosses MoD firing ranges used
by the army and RAF. The tourist office in Durness holds details of when there
will be military activity. Call 01862 810259 from Easter to October and 01862
810400 at other times of the year. Accommodation: SYHA, B&Bs and campsite in Durness. MBA open bothies at Kervaig, Strathchailleach and Strathan.